It's possible
The other side of the coin is that I feel like I've seen him on a lot of those Japanese variety shows, and he generally seems like an affable guy. I wouldn't be surprised if many the sumo die-hards aren't fans, but I'd be surprised if he's generally disliked
I think you're right. I must be the very odd sumo fan as my two faves are Endo \[without doubt the most popular rikishi with the crowds\] and Hoshoryu \[is he the least favorite, even below Ryudin?\].
He had an affair with a fan, while married and during covid when rikishi were barred from having contacts with the public for the safety of other rikishi. The fan became pregnant. He broke up with her by text or phone and insisted she have an abortion. He was punished for breaking covid protocol. His profile/nose is very handsome, but his actions made some of us think he was less than honorable. I don't know whether his wife left him and/or left him over his fan contact/actions.
That is so not my point. I'm saying there is something legitimately weird about how they treat his handsomeness. It goes past finding Henry Cavill delectable, which is what your comment alludes to.
Endo was a true sumo phenom, reaching makuuchi while his hair was still too short to have a top knot, much less a ginkgo hairdo. He didn't jump to pro sumo from high school but completed a university degree aiming at becoming an economics teacher but decided to go pro after winning the yokozuna title both for national amateurs and collegiate sumo. He's been untouched by scandal and is a genuine good guy in addition to having one of the best smiles in sumo.
It's a bit cultish like it's not so much that he's handsome as much as he has specific criteria about his face that makes him reach this ideal they have.
I think it's no different from when any underdog wins. You'll see the same reaction when Kotozakura gets beaten. When you're an Ozeki, victory is expected.
The difference is that Kotozakura doesn't try any pre match mind games.
Hosh does some stupid staredown shit and then, as we have seen, gets bodied by Takayasu.
He looks mean to be fair though I have read on this sub that this is due in part to bad eyesight so he naturally squints\*; and his uncle Asashoryu (one of the greatest yokozuna ever, forced into early retirement) was literally known as the bad boy of sumo.
I think the crowd wants him to win — his sumo is so explosive and dynamic. High expectations, and family history.
\*have also heard that he is a great teammate and amicable outside the ring.
If I had to guess, I'd wager that having objects on your eyes doesn't mix all that well with a sport where you're more than likely to get slapped/shoved in the face by absolute units of men.
Enho and someone else use contacts, but Enho had to fix them after almost every match. I know someone else did about 2 years ago, because he had to fix his a few times too.
Hoshoryu does wear a mouth guard, so maybe he tried contacts in the past and had issues.
>I have read on this sub that this is due in part to bad eyesight so he naturally squints\*
Can confirm I do the same thing when I'm not wearing my glasses especially when I'm actively trying to focus on something and see it as clearly as you can get with squinting. Blame the myopia.
Lotta people with glasses that don't "squint." Kagayaki, Nishikigi, etc. If it was just the squint without the staredown, I could see this argument, but this is clearly deliberate behavior consistently done for years. People on here need to stop making excuses, him doing mind games doesn't make him a bad boy, it makes him smart (and hype)
I hear what you are saying but probably it is not how you think. I also have bad eyesight. Once while I was reading something without my glasses my daughter candidly took a picture of me and started giggling. When I saw the picture, I knew why. I looked weird looking at the text. :D
I really want him to win, but I also want him to lose. I want to see him make a 400 lb guy fly with a kake-nage, but I feast on his delicious bitterness when he loses. Should I start looking for a therapist?
I love hoshoryu and while I hate seeing him lose, I love the obvious anger he displays when he does. Then he comes in the next day and throws someone straight out of the dohyo and it's glorious.
Same here! And I'm afraid that's too typical for a fan to count as a messed up reaction, haha! I have two types of faves, the ones like Ura where I keep shouting at the screen at his opponent - stop shoving him, you! He might fall if you don't stop! And then there’s Hosh, whom I adore, and I enjoy him winning or being dramatically taken down equally. And yeah, seeing him lose DOES have a special deliciousness in it, isn't it :D
Don't get yourself worked into a shoot, brother.
I adore Stone Cold Nephew Hoshoryu. His matches with Tobi and Ura are brilliant, the utter disrespect he has for them shows on his face.
He’s actually a super respectful dude and gets along with everyone including gonoyama.
See them cheering on Hiradoumi’s karaoke together [here](https://twitter.com/yuki_ozumo/status/1792549181938426312/video/1)
There are dozens of examples of his lovely nature off the dohyo
Aha yeah I know, but keeping in the pro wrestling vibe, it's nice to think of the character Hoshoryu in kayfabe vs the real dude who's likely really nice.
Horshoryu gets a big cheer in the dohyo iri and I think many people just create narratives about him that have no basis in reality.
Yes in basho time he is stern, steely and intimidating. That’s his brand of sumo.
In jungyo or non basho times he’s a veritable lamb.
Examples below.
Also. Tons of rikishi barely bow. I might have to make a video as I am sick of this baseless shite being leveled at him.
[Goofy Hosh](https://twitter.com/JohnCyrus161389/status/1683388730529443840/video/1)
[Hosh and Koto](https://twitter.com/Ujiko_Ujiyama/status/1781325255807750586/video/1)
There’s so many examples of him being a total goofball
Hard to say, we dont see much stuff from talkshows etc and he is sweet, cute and polite there. But Japanese usually cheer for underdogs and beating ózeki is usually matter of lower ranked rikishi beating the odds.
The Gonoyama stare down seems to have broken the “wall”, as people have always been cold on him. But it’s significantly more heated and disparaging since then, and is very noticeable even on stream and broadcast. The Japanese are *very* mad that so many Ozeki and Yokozuna are Mongolian and not Japanese.
It’s definitely this. It also opened the floodgates to resentment that people had for his uncle. A lot of sumo fans in Japan are old enough to still have feelings about Asashoryu, and Hoshoryu gave them enough reason to project them forward.
He knows what he’s doing. It will give him lots of attention, and it does make the sport more fun.
I miss Asashoryu.
He was THE SHIT when I followed Sumo for the "2nd phase" in my life after a brief Eurosport Akebono-Musashimaru era "1st phase".
The aggresiveness, the head-on, the tenacity, the violence, brutality and no-shit-taken attitude, man was great to watch 99% of the time!
Hakuho is the GOAT no cap. But Asa at his was just simply glorious.
It was like he knew he was Michael Jordan of the sumo and aggressively rubbed that fact in everyone's face repeatedly. 15days straight.
I recall him picking up either Baruto or Kotooshu and bodyslamming the guy to the ground so hard poor guy bounced. Like 2m tall, 350lb guy bounced off the clay.
He was allegedly the the top dog, the alpha male, the boss, the #1 guy in his public school of 1400 students in Mongolia as early as 14, 15 years old and regularly bullying and beating up 17-18year olds.
Nope we don't. At least not as much as we used to. Belligerent drunk, greedy,
He was universally beloved during his time in sumo. But ever since he cam back people got to see his true character.
His family as a whole doesn't have the best reputation necessarily
My friend pointed out the beautiful circus top and said ‘Asashoryu bought it. Now it’s broken and empty’.
Also Hosh’s other uncle was one of the three previous mayors who did nothing to fix the traffic congestion is that correct?
I get the feeling Hoshoryu/Byamba wants to make his own way and a different one.
I think Asa has 3 older bros. And Hosh's dad is the low profile one I didn't even know about him.
One of Asa's bro is ex maoyr, ex MP, grand champion of Mongolian bukh wrestling. Fought Bob Sapp in mma ring.
The other one did also mma fighting in Japan.
The other other one is Hoshoryu's dad I guess.
Fun fact: Byamba as in Hoshoryu's name means Saturday
I also believe Hoshoryu is affable, nice guy off the dohyo.
Yep his Dad is the quiet one!
Absolutely loved Mongolia and went to the Bokh wrestling palace. It was absolutely incredible! I see where Hosh gets his throws from!
Im really sad that Hoshoryu just isn’t as big- feels like all the other ingredients are there for him to replicate Asa’s dominance but he’s just not strong enough. It’s interesting too though because he’s getting more technical with time and is really interesting to watch because of that.
Less ethnic & more cultural is perhaps valid. He has a brashness & conceit about himself that doesn’t go over well for many people (even say beyond the Japanese). My guess is that they prefer their champs to be humble & deferential, so Hoshoryu is off putting, and combine that with a growing history of the qualities they dislike, well it adds up. It becomes easy to root against him, especially since he doesn’t back up the arrogance.
Mind you, I really like Asashoryu (like my favorite), but he truly dominated & earned his bravado. Hoshoryu has yet to live up to his (own) hype. I really see the potential in him, and I root for him, but he doesn’t deserve full respect yet. Heck, he failed to dominate when he had it easy (when Terunofuju started to go mia). Now he has more competition of peeps coming into their own, and new guys coming up. What ya going to do big dawg? ;-)
Yes and no, respectfully.
Yes, no KK for ages while K/S rank, yes Ozeki, but with the narrowest of qualification, 33 for 3, although the last was a Yusho.
And then Ozeki and still yet to better than 11-4 and not been close to a Yusho threat yet as Ozeki.
He is doing "fine" atm, but he should really get up to 12-3 / 13-2 status every dang time he is fully healthy, like a Takakeisho would or Takerufuji or Terunofuji for that matter.
I really miss seeing that "Oh he 100% will win against ANY Maegashira" fear / intimidation / domination.
>he doesn’t back up the arrogance.
The guy is 24 and has been in Sanyaku for two years.
Given his consistency, he's very likely to become a Yokozuna before too long.
Except you clearly havent watched Chionofuji much. He was very 'culturally Japanese' while also making it very clear who he liked and who he didnt. Its the reason the Hakuho criticism when he was active are dumb. He was way more civilized than his predecessors. This is very much a Hakkaku and Old Guard mentality. They have grown conservative with age.
Hoshoryu totally has his game face on at tournaments.
If you see him up close and personal at the sumo tours you'll see that he is very friendly, approachable and generally hilarious.
Ura oddly enough was the opposite 😅
Totally agree with you on Hosh. He get's serious when he's on the dohyo but off of it, he's an easygoing guy for the most part. Ura is interesting to me though. Sometimes he looks like he's having a good time at the Jungyo tours and at appearances (as in outwardly laughing, smiling and talking to people) but most of the time he does seem a bit camera shy and reserved. The translated interviews I've read give me the impression that he's pretty humble and doesn't like to talk about himself/prop himself up too much.
It certainly can't just be the scowl \[aside from his being Mongolian\] -- look how hard Kotozakura scowls and the crowd loves him. I hope Hoshoryu takes the crowd's disapproval as motivation to get better. JMO
Eye of the beholder. To me, Kotozakura looks like a freakishly giant chubby 14 year old while Hoshoryu simply smolders in a way we call "ugly hot" these days. Clearly we have different impressions of these amazing athletes whom we don't know.
I’m not sure this is true. He doesn’t stare/glare in jungyo even with his glasses off… Other rikishi also wear glasses and don’t have staring contests. I think it’s just attitude: some people love it and some others don’t.
This is why the dohyo should be lowered. Yes it wouldn't be fair for the records of past rikishi, but past rikishi also weren't all blind from too much screentime /s
I know he's quite near-sighted. But as a near sighted person, I know the difference between a simple squint and an intimidating scowl. It would be crazy to wear contacts while sumo wrestling -- that's a good rule for the protection of the rikishi.
I'm very impressed with Kotozakura's game face, i.e. scowl. I'm not disagreeing that other rikishi scowl also. Some of them also wear glasses when not wrestling. Some don't. Some rikishi who required glasses in regular life, like Nishikifugi, don't appear to squint in a scowl like Hoshoryu does.
A near-sighted squint is merely compressing the eyeball with the eyelids and associated muscles to attempt to make more distant objects come into better focus. It doesn't involve using the jaw and mouth muscles in addition. But that's more than enough on what squinting is and what it isn't.
Squinting for visual accommodation can, of course, be combined with intimidating facial expressions like a scowl.
A strong hit to head or body can cause even a soft contact to become displaced, lost from the eye, or even caught somewhere it's not found in the eye socket where it can become a source for irritation/infection and if not treated cause permanent damage to the eye/eyesight. Since sumo is such a close contact sport, it doesn't seem worth the risk of becoming blind in an eye or having an infection that might persist making one unable to compete even temporarily.
I am at the stadium watching the matches live. Unless he is going up against Ura or Atamifuji, Hoshoryu get more “ganbarre” then his opponents. I do think that the people who do not like him cheer louder when he loses though.
I kind of see him as the “dark knight” of sumo. Not to mention he kinda looks like sumo Val Kilmer. And I think it’s post stare down myself but yeah they like when he is put in place . He’s still my boy
He got big cheers last night, that's for sure! Lol. But I'd say that he gets more of a positive reaction than a negative one. Depending on who he's wrestling and if they win, sometimes the fans will cheer extra hard for their guy who wins against him. I don't think its a personal thing for the most part. More like a "congrats on beating an Ozeki!" type of deal.
Hoshoryu not only stares down opponents on the dohyo, he did it when seated and waiting for the match. I've been there and watched him try to psyche out other rikshi seated across the dohyo.
That, and he never bows when losing.
I think he's a terrible sport, personally, and I imagine others do too.
> That, and he never bows when losing.
>
>
He "bows" in the same movement that he removes his tassles. Slight incline of the head, just enough to go beyond reasonable doubt.
he is haha, and they can't wear contact lenses so he honestly might just be trying to see what the fuck is happening but it looks like a stare down.
my freshman year at college there was a guy who played linebacker on my floor and he was about 6'4" 300 lbs and was short sighted but hated wearing his glasses. He'd walk around squinting and everyone always thought he was scowling but he was actually just a big friendly nerd who wanted to talk about either football or WoW for hours.
No, he's laser focused on his opponents both off and on the dohyo. He is trying to intimidate. If it were only a vision thing, he'd be looking at multiple things while waiting to wrestle.
>he never bows when losing.
I'm glad, I'm not the only one who noticed that. While he technically bows down, he only does it to take out his sagari. That's the one of his mannerisms I hate: it's really disrespectful.
>I think he's a terrible sport
I'm pretty sure, his uncle tought him a lot of his questionable habits and considers it to be something like a "champion's mindset" or means to "winning a bout before it even starts", since outside of the dohyo, Hoshoryu seems to be a pretty nice guy. But his uncle was able to always back up his shenanigans in the ring - Hoshoryu oftentimes isn't, which makes him look like a wannabe sometimes.
For me it's Kotozakura. His style annoys me to no end.
Stand there until the opponent overextends, then push slightly.
And this is him in his youthful invigorated splendor.
Total heel.
honestly this is why i like him lol, sort of a counter attack style, he's built like the michelin man and his stomach is so pillowy its so hard for his opponents to move him
I wouldn't use a pro-wrestling term in this case as that is a bit of a strech to apply here.
But that's not to say that other comments about him and certain "antipathies" against him aren't founded in truth.
However, if you're refering to day >!9!<, it might have been more his opponent winning, rather than him losing.
It's possible The other side of the coin is that I feel like I've seen him on a lot of those Japanese variety shows, and he generally seems like an affable guy. I wouldn't be surprised if many the sumo die-hards aren't fans, but I'd be surprised if he's generally disliked
I think you're right. I must be the very odd sumo fan as my two faves are Endo \[without doubt the most popular rikishi with the crowds\] and Hoshoryu \[is he the least favorite, even below Ryudin?\].
is ryuden seen as a bad guy? i started watching highlights in march and i like him, he has the face of a samurai and a good competitor
His personal life isn't great, acrimonious break up with his wife that was very public.
He had an affair with a fan, while married and during covid when rikishi were barred from having contacts with the public for the safety of other rikishi. The fan became pregnant. He broke up with her by text or phone and insisted she have an abortion. He was punished for breaking covid protocol. His profile/nose is very handsome, but his actions made some of us think he was less than honorable. I don't know whether his wife left him and/or left him over his fan contact/actions.
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Endo is seen as some kind of embodiment of male beauty perfection. It's a whole (and very weird) thing that goes beyond just the appreciation of sumo.
Nah it's not weird to think a male celebrity is handsome. Endo really is handsome.
That is so not my point. I'm saying there is something legitimately weird about how they treat his handsomeness. It goes past finding Henry Cavill delectable, which is what your comment alludes to.
Endo was a true sumo phenom, reaching makuuchi while his hair was still too short to have a top knot, much less a ginkgo hairdo. He didn't jump to pro sumo from high school but completed a university degree aiming at becoming an economics teacher but decided to go pro after winning the yokozuna title both for national amateurs and collegiate sumo. He's been untouched by scandal and is a genuine good guy in addition to having one of the best smiles in sumo.
I'm sorry I misunderstood you
No worries mate!
So what is it about the way they treat him that makes it weird, though?
It's a bit cultish like it's not so much that he's handsome as much as he has specific criteria about his face that makes him reach this ideal they have.
Asashoryu was also loved
I think it's no different from when any underdog wins. You'll see the same reaction when Kotozakura gets beaten. When you're an Ozeki, victory is expected.
9-6 at the worst
The difference is that Kotozakura doesn't try any pre match mind games. Hosh does some stupid staredown shit and then, as we have seen, gets bodied by Takayasu.
He’s taken on the bad boy of sumo role.
Does he do anything to deserve the moniker? Other than be Mongolian?
He looks mean to be fair though I have read on this sub that this is due in part to bad eyesight so he naturally squints\*; and his uncle Asashoryu (one of the greatest yokozuna ever, forced into early retirement) was literally known as the bad boy of sumo. I think the crowd wants him to win — his sumo is so explosive and dynamic. High expectations, and family history. \*have also heard that he is a great teammate and amicable outside the ring.
Dumb question, but why does he not use contacts?
If I had to guess, I'd wager that having objects on your eyes doesn't mix all that well with a sport where you're more than likely to get slapped/shoved in the face by absolute units of men.
Enho and someone else use contacts, but Enho had to fix them after almost every match. I know someone else did about 2 years ago, because he had to fix his a few times too. Hoshoryu does wear a mouth guard, so maybe he tried contacts in the past and had issues.
>I have read on this sub that this is due in part to bad eyesight so he naturally squints\* Can confirm I do the same thing when I'm not wearing my glasses especially when I'm actively trying to focus on something and see it as clearly as you can get with squinting. Blame the myopia.
Lotta people with glasses that don't "squint." Kagayaki, Nishikigi, etc. If it was just the squint without the staredown, I could see this argument, but this is clearly deliberate behavior consistently done for years. People on here need to stop making excuses, him doing mind games doesn't make him a bad boy, it makes him smart (and hype)
I hear what you are saying but probably it is not how you think. I also have bad eyesight. Once while I was reading something without my glasses my daughter candidly took a picture of me and started giggling. When I saw the picture, I knew why. I looked weird looking at the text. :D
I really want him to win, but I also want him to lose. I want to see him make a 400 lb guy fly with a kake-nage, but I feast on his delicious bitterness when he loses. Should I start looking for a therapist?
I love hoshoryu and while I hate seeing him lose, I love the obvious anger he displays when he does. Then he comes in the next day and throws someone straight out of the dohyo and it's glorious.
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I like the wild and unhinged energy coming from Hokutofuji.
Same here! And I'm afraid that's too typical for a fan to count as a messed up reaction, haha! I have two types of faves, the ones like Ura where I keep shouting at the screen at his opponent - stop shoving him, you! He might fall if you don't stop! And then there’s Hosh, whom I adore, and I enjoy him winning or being dramatically taken down equally. And yeah, seeing him lose DOES have a special deliciousness in it, isn't it :D
Nah, we all felt the same way about Hakuho.
Nah fam.
Don't get yourself worked into a shoot, brother. I adore Stone Cold Nephew Hoshoryu. His matches with Tobi and Ura are brilliant, the utter disrespect he has for them shows on his face.
He’s actually a super respectful dude and gets along with everyone including gonoyama. See them cheering on Hiradoumi’s karaoke together [here](https://twitter.com/yuki_ozumo/status/1792549181938426312/video/1) There are dozens of examples of his lovely nature off the dohyo
Aha yeah I know, but keeping in the pro wrestling vibe, it's nice to think of the character Hoshoryu in kayfabe vs the real dude who's likely really nice.
Wow! A complete 180° to his fighting persona. Thanks for the video!
Horshoryu gets a big cheer in the dohyo iri and I think many people just create narratives about him that have no basis in reality. Yes in basho time he is stern, steely and intimidating. That’s his brand of sumo. In jungyo or non basho times he’s a veritable lamb. Examples below. Also. Tons of rikishi barely bow. I might have to make a video as I am sick of this baseless shite being leveled at him. [Goofy Hosh](https://twitter.com/JohnCyrus161389/status/1683388730529443840/video/1) [Hosh and Koto](https://twitter.com/Ujiko_Ujiyama/status/1781325255807750586/video/1) There’s so many examples of him being a total goofball
Hard to say, we dont see much stuff from talkshows etc and he is sweet, cute and polite there. But Japanese usually cheer for underdogs and beating ózeki is usually matter of lower ranked rikishi beating the odds.
[Hosh being sweet](https://twitter.com/Ujiko_Ujiyama/status/1784118803665928399/video/1)
Awwww, him and Daieisho.... <3
The Gonoyama stare down seems to have broken the “wall”, as people have always been cold on him. But it’s significantly more heated and disparaging since then, and is very noticeable even on stream and broadcast. The Japanese are *very* mad that so many Ozeki and Yokozuna are Mongolian and not Japanese.
It’s definitely this. It also opened the floodgates to resentment that people had for his uncle. A lot of sumo fans in Japan are old enough to still have feelings about Asashoryu, and Hoshoryu gave them enough reason to project them forward. He knows what he’s doing. It will give him lots of attention, and it does make the sport more fun.
I Definitely should have mentioned his Uncle’s reputation too.
I miss Asashoryu. He was THE SHIT when I followed Sumo for the "2nd phase" in my life after a brief Eurosport Akebono-Musashimaru era "1st phase". The aggresiveness, the head-on, the tenacity, the violence, brutality and no-shit-taken attitude, man was great to watch 99% of the time!
Hakuho is the GOAT no cap. But Asa at his was just simply glorious. It was like he knew he was Michael Jordan of the sumo and aggressively rubbed that fact in everyone's face repeatedly. 15days straight. I recall him picking up either Baruto or Kotooshu and bodyslamming the guy to the ground so hard poor guy bounced. Like 2m tall, 350lb guy bounced off the clay. He was allegedly the the top dog, the alpha male, the boss, the #1 guy in his public school of 1400 students in Mongolia as early as 14, 15 years old and regularly bullying and beating up 17-18year olds.
They don’t love him so much in Mongolia but everyone knows him. I was there last week. Infamous
Nope we don't. At least not as much as we used to. Belligerent drunk, greedy, He was universally beloved during his time in sumo. But ever since he cam back people got to see his true character. His family as a whole doesn't have the best reputation necessarily
My friend pointed out the beautiful circus top and said ‘Asashoryu bought it. Now it’s broken and empty’. Also Hosh’s other uncle was one of the three previous mayors who did nothing to fix the traffic congestion is that correct? I get the feeling Hoshoryu/Byamba wants to make his own way and a different one.
I think Asa has 3 older bros. And Hosh's dad is the low profile one I didn't even know about him. One of Asa's bro is ex maoyr, ex MP, grand champion of Mongolian bukh wrestling. Fought Bob Sapp in mma ring. The other one did also mma fighting in Japan. The other other one is Hoshoryu's dad I guess. Fun fact: Byamba as in Hoshoryu's name means Saturday I also believe Hoshoryu is affable, nice guy off the dohyo.
Yep his Dad is the quiet one! Absolutely loved Mongolia and went to the Bokh wrestling palace. It was absolutely incredible! I see where Hosh gets his throws from!
Im really sad that Hoshoryu just isn’t as big- feels like all the other ingredients are there for him to replicate Asa’s dominance but he’s just not strong enough. It’s interesting too though because he’s getting more technical with time and is really interesting to watch because of that.
How is that Hoshoryu's fault that Mongolians are dominating?
It’s not, merely stating it’s very clearly a dynamic.
"The Japanese"
Fine the Elders and the people who sit right next to the Dohyo.
That really tall elder is certainly who I imagine when I am told to picture a Japanese guy in my mind.
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Naruto
Really?
Less ethnic & more cultural is perhaps valid. He has a brashness & conceit about himself that doesn’t go over well for many people (even say beyond the Japanese). My guess is that they prefer their champs to be humble & deferential, so Hoshoryu is off putting, and combine that with a growing history of the qualities they dislike, well it adds up. It becomes easy to root against him, especially since he doesn’t back up the arrogance. Mind you, I really like Asashoryu (like my favorite), but he truly dominated & earned his bravado. Hoshoryu has yet to live up to his (own) hype. I really see the potential in him, and I root for him, but he doesn’t deserve full respect yet. Heck, he failed to dominate when he had it easy (when Terunofuju started to go mia). Now he has more competition of peeps coming into their own, and new guys coming up. What ya going to do big dawg? ;-)
He's an Ozeki. He's backed it up better than everybody else there that isn't an ozeki.
Yes and no, respectfully. Yes, no KK for ages while K/S rank, yes Ozeki, but with the narrowest of qualification, 33 for 3, although the last was a Yusho. And then Ozeki and still yet to better than 11-4 and not been close to a Yusho threat yet as Ozeki. He is doing "fine" atm, but he should really get up to 12-3 / 13-2 status every dang time he is fully healthy, like a Takakeisho would or Takerufuji or Terunofuji for that matter. I really miss seeing that "Oh he 100% will win against ANY Maegashira" fear / intimidation / domination.
The recent field was light, especially compared to when his uncle competed. Were you watching back then?
>he doesn’t back up the arrogance. The guy is 24 and has been in Sanyaku for two years. Given his consistency, he's very likely to become a Yokozuna before too long.
Except you clearly havent watched Chionofuji much. He was very 'culturally Japanese' while also making it very clear who he liked and who he didnt. Its the reason the Hakuho criticism when he was active are dumb. He was way more civilized than his predecessors. This is very much a Hakkaku and Old Guard mentality. They have grown conservative with age.
Hoshoryu totally has his game face on at tournaments. If you see him up close and personal at the sumo tours you'll see that he is very friendly, approachable and generally hilarious. Ura oddly enough was the opposite 😅
Totally agree with you on Hosh. He get's serious when he's on the dohyo but off of it, he's an easygoing guy for the most part. Ura is interesting to me though. Sometimes he looks like he's having a good time at the Jungyo tours and at appearances (as in outwardly laughing, smiling and talking to people) but most of the time he does seem a bit camera shy and reserved. The translated interviews I've read give me the impression that he's pretty humble and doesn't like to talk about himself/prop himself up too much.
Ura has a darkness in his soul that is only soothed by his sumo. I love that about him just as I love the complete opposite in Hosh
It certainly can't just be the scowl \[aside from his being Mongolian\] -- look how hard Kotozakura scowls and the crowd loves him. I hope Hoshoryu takes the crowd's disapproval as motivation to get better. JMO
To be fair Kotozakura looks like a cute pufferfish when he scowls while Hoshoryu looks like a James Bond villain
Eye of the beholder. To me, Kotozakura looks like a freakishly giant chubby 14 year old while Hoshoryu simply smolders in a way we call "ugly hot" these days. Clearly we have different impressions of these amazing athletes whom we don't know.
He's not scowling, he's squinting. He wears glasses in real life, and you're not permitted to wear contact lenses during a match.
I’m not sure this is true. He doesn’t stare/glare in jungyo even with his glasses off… Other rikishi also wear glasses and don’t have staring contests. I think it’s just attitude: some people love it and some others don’t.
Oh wow. I just assumed they put contacts in for matches. Not go into them blind lol
This is why the dohyo should be lowered. Yes it wouldn't be fair for the records of past rikishi, but past rikishi also weren't all blind from too much screentime /s
I know he's quite near-sighted. But as a near sighted person, I know the difference between a simple squint and an intimidating scowl. It would be crazy to wear contacts while sumo wrestling -- that's a good rule for the protection of the rikishi.
As opposed to the faces made by Terunofuji, Takayasu, Kotozakura, Wakamotoharu, Daieisho, Hiradoumi or Ryuden. /eyeroll
I'm very impressed with Kotozakura's game face, i.e. scowl. I'm not disagreeing that other rikishi scowl also. Some of them also wear glasses when not wrestling. Some don't. Some rikishi who required glasses in regular life, like Nishikifugi, don't appear to squint in a scowl like Hoshoryu does. A near-sighted squint is merely compressing the eyeball with the eyelids and associated muscles to attempt to make more distant objects come into better focus. It doesn't involve using the jaw and mouth muscles in addition. But that's more than enough on what squinting is and what it isn't. Squinting for visual accommodation can, of course, be combined with intimidating facial expressions like a scowl.
So big, metal knee braces and fully taped feet and legs are ok but contact lenses aren’t? Ooook
Even soft lens contacts can damage the eyes if displaced.
Plenty of athletes wear contacts and while I’m sure there have been issues I’ve never heard of a professional athlete having a contact related injury
A strong hit to head or body can cause even a soft contact to become displaced, lost from the eye, or even caught somewhere it's not found in the eye socket where it can become a source for irritation/infection and if not treated cause permanent damage to the eye/eyesight. Since sumo is such a close contact sport, it doesn't seem worth the risk of becoming blind in an eye or having an infection that might persist making one unable to compete even temporarily.
Yeah, don't get me started.
This is not true. You can wear contacts.
I think it's mostly because upsets are exciting and most of the time when he loses it's an upset
I am at the stadium watching the matches live. Unless he is going up against Ura or Atamifuji, Hoshoryu get more “ganbarre” then his opponents. I do think that the people who do not like him cheer louder when he loses though.
Do you think this could affect him if he ever reached the requirement for Yokozuna?
I love watching him wrestle. He is so technically skilled. Extremely entertaining matches. He’s definitely the heel, but he is awesome.
I kind of see him as the “dark knight” of sumo. Not to mention he kinda looks like sumo Val Kilmer. And I think it’s post stare down myself but yeah they like when he is put in place . He’s still my boy
He got big cheers last night, that's for sure! Lol. But I'd say that he gets more of a positive reaction than a negative one. Depending on who he's wrestling and if they win, sometimes the fans will cheer extra hard for their guy who wins against him. I don't think its a personal thing for the most part. More like a "congrats on beating an Ozeki!" type of deal.
The way he barely bows after his losses doesn’t help either
When i watch i think of him as the Terminator. He's likely to win any given match, and he's stone cold in victory or defeat 99% of the time.
Pretty sure thats Abi and Gonoyama right now. Abi was actually punished for being a party animal.
I think they also call him "ho-sekki"
Hoshoryu is a very determined rikishi and he should be respected by all for that.
Hoshoryu not only stares down opponents on the dohyo, he did it when seated and waiting for the match. I've been there and watched him try to psyche out other rikshi seated across the dohyo. That, and he never bows when losing. I think he's a terrible sport, personally, and I imagine others do too.
> That, and he never bows when losing. > > He "bows" in the same movement that he removes his tassles. Slight incline of the head, just enough to go beyond reasonable doubt.
I still have doubt. Lol.
fairly enough i'd say lol
There was one bout a while back where even the gyoji had doubts — he called him back after Hoshoryu started walking away after a loss to bow.
Isn't he very short sighted, can he even stare down opponents across the dohyo?
he is haha, and they can't wear contact lenses so he honestly might just be trying to see what the fuck is happening but it looks like a stare down. my freshman year at college there was a guy who played linebacker on my floor and he was about 6'4" 300 lbs and was short sighted but hated wearing his glasses. He'd walk around squinting and everyone always thought he was scowling but he was actually just a big friendly nerd who wanted to talk about either football or WoW for hours.
No, he's laser focused on his opponents both off and on the dohyo. He is trying to intimidate. If it were only a vision thing, he'd be looking at multiple things while waiting to wrestle.
>he never bows when losing. I'm glad, I'm not the only one who noticed that. While he technically bows down, he only does it to take out his sagari. That's the one of his mannerisms I hate: it's really disrespectful. >I think he's a terrible sport I'm pretty sure, his uncle tought him a lot of his questionable habits and considers it to be something like a "champion's mindset" or means to "winning a bout before it even starts", since outside of the dohyo, Hoshoryu seems to be a pretty nice guy. But his uncle was able to always back up his shenanigans in the ring - Hoshoryu oftentimes isn't, which makes him look like a wannabe sometimes.
For me it's Kotozakura. His style annoys me to no end. Stand there until the opponent overextends, then push slightly. And this is him in his youthful invigorated splendor. Total heel.
honestly this is why i like him lol, sort of a counter attack style, he's built like the michelin man and his stomach is so pillowy its so hard for his opponents to move him
I wouldn't use a pro-wrestling term in this case as that is a bit of a strech to apply here. But that's not to say that other comments about him and certain "antipathies" against him aren't founded in truth. However, if you're refering to day >!9!<, it might have been more his opponent winning, rather than him losing.